huệ tây

Mẹ cắm một bó huệ tây trắng vào lọ trên bàn.

Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Lily: A type of flowering plant with large, often fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers, typically growing from a bulb. This is the direct translation for "huệ tây" in a botanical context.
   • Specifically, the Easter Lily or similar species: In common usage, "huệ tây" often refers to specific lilies like the Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum), known for its pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong vườn nhà tôi có nhiều hoa huệ tây trắng. (In my garden, there are many white lilies.)
  • Huệ tây thường nở vào mùa xuân. (Lilies often bloom in spring.)
  • Cô ấy được tặng một bó huệ tây thơm ngát. (She was given a bouquet of fragrant lilies.)

Advanced Usage

• "Hoa huệ tây": This is the most common full phrase, explicitly meaning "lily flower." While "huệ tây" alone is understood, adding "hoa" is natural.
  • Hoa huệ tây tượng trưng cho sự thuần khiết. (The lily flower symbolizes purity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Huệ ta / Huệ nước: Refers to a different plant, often the tuberose () or a type of crinum, which is distinct from the "huệ tây" (lily).
• Hoa loa kèn: This is another common Vietnamese name for the lily, especially the trumpet lily. "Huệ tây" and "hoa loa kèn" are often used interchangeably.
• Lily (English): The direct equivalent.
• Lis (French): The equivalent from the reference dictionary.

Synonyms

• Hoa loa kèn: Trumpet lily (a near-synonym in common Vietnamese usage).
• Bách hợp: This is the Sino-Vietnamese name for lily, sometimes used in more formal or literary contexts.

Notes on Meaning

• The term "huệ tây" literally translates to "Western huệ," distinguishing it from the indigenous "huệ ta." It specifically points to plants of the genus .
• It is important not to confuse "huệ tây" (lily) with "huệ ta" (tuberose/crinum), as they are different plants.